Autophagy is a unique recycling mechanism characterized by the formation of double membrane vesicles, which engulf and degrade cytoplasmic materials or damaged organelles via lysosome degradation and thereby maintain normal homeostasis of cells. Owing to the crucial role of autophagy in cellular differentiation, development, homeostasis, starvation, and stressful conditions, defect in autophagy induction would contribute to the various diseases including neurodegenerative diseases, infectious diseases, metabolic diseases, and cancers. For cancers therapies, autophagy can act as a tumor suppressor by the removal of unfolded proteins and damaged organelles. Emerging evidence have demonstrated that polyphenolic natural compounds quercetin, genistein, rottlerin, resveratrol and guttiferone K are capable of treating cancers via the autophagic cell death mechanism.
In view of the demand for treating cancers, more compounds and compositions that can effectively treat cancers are desired.